Francisco Javier Ravelo, of Coral Gables, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release, during which he is not permitted to have any unsupervised contact with animals. Ravelo was sentenced in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute.
Ravelo pleaded guilty in March to distributing more than 40 so-called “animal crush videos.”
According to court documents and statements made during his sentencing hearing, Ravelo owned and administered several online chat groups dedicated to distribution and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being mutilated and tortured. The court ruled that Ravelo controlled access to and moderated his invitation-only private groups, where he was a leader and organizer, which served as a basis for Ravelo’s upward variance prison sentence. The court described the material distributed as “evil.” The court explained that it fashioned the sentence to show that “in society we will not tolerate this kind of material being distributed in any way, shape, or form” and further, that the harshness should serve as a deterrence for others in the monkey hate community.
“The production and distribution of obscene animal crush videos is a felony,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “In passing the Animal Crushing statute, Congress recognized that cruelty to animals desensitizes participants to the suffering of human beings. This sentence is a warning to all future would-be creators and consumers of animal crushing that they risk federal prosecution and imprisonment for these crimes.”
“Ravelo’s conviction and this sentencing make it clear that those who commit these horrific crimes cannot evade justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans. “Even when offenders use advanced technology and exclusive, invitation-only groups to hide their illegal activities, HSI will relentlessly pursue them and ensure they are held accountable. Our team worked tirelessly to stop Ravelo’s egregious crimes and prevent further harm, and we remain committed to bringing others who commit these offenses to justice.”
HSI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke E. Latta for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
